Gamecocks stun Clemson with late turnover and interception

CLEMSON, SC – LaNorris Salesman. That’s it and that’s all. He was the beginning, the middle and perhaps the end for Clemson’s playoff hopes.

South Carolina’s proud signal-caller played the game of his life, leading the kind of drive that will earn him statues, nicknames and free drinks for life in Columbia, as the redshirt freshman led the Gamecocks on a 75-yard touchdown march at USA led in the fourth quarter to clinch an improbable 17-14 win over rival Clemson.

After a false start put South Carolina on third-and-15 at the Clemson 20 with just over a minute left, Sellers did what he had all day. Escaped a sack, slipped through multiple tacklers and made a play.

This is the greatest of all. A 20-yard scramble with 1:08 on the clock, the kind of legendary play that will live forever in program lore and cement Sellers as a program icon in Columbia for decades to come.

But even after the theft there was another drama. Clemson rushed into South Carolina’s red zone in the final minute, needing a field goal to tie the game or a touchdown to win. But with less than 20 seconds to go, a second and a ten Cade Klubnik passed was overturned. Senior linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. had imagined it, a game-winning interception in the most unlikely of circumstances.

After trailing for almost the entire game heading into the final minute, turning over three times and completely at the mercy of a dominant Clemson defensive front for most of the afternoon, the Gamecocks found the offense just in time.

Sellers finished his heroic afternoon with 164 passing yards and 166 rushing yards, including both touchdowns on the ground, after starting the scoring for South Carolina with a rushing touchdown in the first half. Both Clemson touchdowns also came on the ground thanks to Klubnik, and the Tigers’ biggest accomplishment of the game was on the ground with 139 rushing yards.

Both defenses shined in a game where the score was only 7-7 at halftime, and points proved to be the most valuable asset throughout. Clemson struck first, with a 13-yard rushing touchdown in the 2nd quarter from Cade Klubnik after making a few early deep throws in one-on-one coverage. Still, Sellers responded on the next drive, a taste of what was to come as things were winding down for the Gamecocks, scoring a 25-yard rushing touchdown of his own a few minutes later.

Klubnik added another rushing touchdown on Clemson’s first drive of the second half, but that was the Tigers’ only score of the second half, with K Alex Herrera He provided the game-winning difference at the start of the fourth quarter before Sellers finished off his fourth-ranked opponent for the second straight game in the final minutes.

While South Carolina still needs some help to extend its playoff season, Gamecock fans will forever remember how RS freshman LaNorris Sellers led his team to victory in Death Valley by avoiding turnovers, untimely penalties and overcame a strong Clemson defense. Now only time will tell what further success the quarterback, whom Beamer described after the game as “the best player in the country,” can achieve.

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